NFL: JAN 11 AFC Wildcard Chargers at Patriots
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Free agency ordinarily isn't the answer to an NFL team's prayers. Winning free agency doesn't instantly translate to success. Only four of the teams that spent the most money in free agency have made the playoffs in the same year over the last 10 seasons. The 2024 Tennessee Titans are a prime example of free agency futility. Spending the third most money in free agency resulted in a three-win decrease where the Titans secured the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft with a 3-14 record.

Super Bowl LX will be an exception regarding free agency. Making the Super Bowl immediately after a big spending spree is a rarity. Both Super Bowl LX participants were among the biggest spenders in free agency during the offseason. 

Any signings after the cutoff date to qualify for the compensatory draft pick formula, which is the Monday after the NFL Draft, were excluded from calculations when determining spending. This date was April 28 for 2025. Players with expiring contracts headed to unrestricted free agency who re-signed were included in the computations.

The New England Patriots easily spent the most in free agency. Armed with over $125 million in salary cap space, the Patriots were determined to improve upon the 4-13 record of the previous two seasons. The Patriots signed 16 players to contracts totaling $364.86 million with $200.559 million in guarantees, of which $181.659 million was fully guaranteed at signing. The contracts were worth as much as $407.355 million thanks to performance bonuses (incentives and salary escalators).

The primary emphasis was on defense. Six defensive starters were signed.

Most notably, the Patriots won a bidding war with the Carolina Panthers for Milton Williams. The defensive tackle signed a four-year, $104 million contract with $63 million in guarantees ($51 million fully guaranteed at signing). The deal made Williams the NFL's third-highest paid interior defensive lineman at $26 million per year. This was one of the more surprising deals of free agency because Williams was a part of an interior defensive line rotation with the Philadelphia Eagles where his 47.8% defensive playtime in 2024 was a career high.

Carlton Davis was signed to pair with Christian Gonzalez, a 2024 second-team All-Pro, at cornerback. He received a three-year, $54 million contract, averaging $18 million per year with $34.5 million fully guaranteed. The deal is worth as much as $60 million because of incentives.

Edge rusher Harold Landry was brought in to bolster the pass rush. He was given a three-year, $43.5 million deal (worth up to $48 million through incentives) with $26 million fully guaranteed. K'Lavon Chaisson, Landry's edge-rushing counterpart, might be New England's best value signing. He received a one-year, $3 million deal worth up to $5 million through incentives. Chaisson's 7.5 sacks are second on the Patriots behind Landry's 8.5.

Linebacker Robert Spillane signed a three-year, $33 million contract, averaging $11 million per year with $20.6 million fully guaranteed. Incentives make the maximum value of the deal $37.5 million.

The expectations weren't high for safety Jaylinn Hawkins when he signed a one-year, $1.8 million contract. His emergence led to the Patriots trading Kyle Dugger to the Pittsburgh Steelers at the end of October.

Linebacker Jack Gibbens and nose tackle Khyiris Tonga, who signed one year deals for $1.3 million and $2.1 million respectively, have been key contributors. Gibbens has been on the field for 48.23% of New England's defensive snaps while Tonga's defensive playtime was 33.1% during the regular season. 

The Patriots took a calculated risk that wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who turned 32 in November, would bounce back from tearing the ACL in his right knee during the middle of 2024 season. Diggs signed a three-year, $63.5 million contract (worth a maximum of $69 million through incentives) with an extremely team-friendly structure in March a couple of weeks into free agency. The deal has $26 million in guarantees where $20 million was fully guaranteed at signing. Diggs didn't have any lingering effects from his knee injury. He caught 85 passes for 1,013 yards with four touchdowns.

Diggs wasn't the only free agent addition at wide receiver. Mack Hollins was signed to a two-year, $8.4 million deal with additional $2 million in incentives. His 656 regular-season snaps were the most among Patriots wide receivers.

Two starters on the offensive line were found. Right tackle Morgan Moses signed a three-year, $24 million contract worth a maximum of $28.5 million through incentives. Center Garrett Bradbury received a two-year deal with a base value of $9.5 million.

Hiring Mike Vrabel as head coach, quarterback Drake Maye taking a huge step forward in his second NFL season and the free agent acquisitions have been the catalyst in New England's turnaround. The 10-win improvement is the NFL's best for the 2025 season.

The Seattle Seahawks didn't have as much ground to make up as the Patriots. The playoffs were just missed in 2024 with a 10-7 record. Nonetheless, the Seahawks were the NFL's fourth biggest spender in free agency by most accounts. Seattle signed 13 players for $247,927,500 with $133,542,500 in guarantees where $95,042,500 was fully guaranteed at signing. The maximum value of these contracts is $285,827,500 when including incentives and salary escalators.

A big key to the Seahawks earning the top seed in the NFC for the playoffs with a 14-3 record was signing quarterback Sam Darnold. The Seahawks pivoted to Darnold after contract extensions talks with Geno Smith stalled prior to his trade to the Las Vegas Raiders for a 2025 third round pick in March. 

Darnold signed a three-year, $100.5 million contract, averaging $33.5 million per year worth a maximum of $115.5 million through incentives during free agency. There are $55 million in guarantees, of which $37.5 million was fully guaranteed at signing. Smith would still be Seattle's quarterback if he had been willing to accept a Darnold-type deal.

Darnold demonstrated that he wasn't just a product of Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell's offensive mind. He earned Pro Bowl honors for a second straight season. More importantly, Darnold has started changing his reputation of shrinking in big games. He completed 25 of 36 passes (69.4%) for 356 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions to post a 127.8 passer rating during Seattle's 31-27 win over the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game.

The Seahawks turned to the free agent market to address a need at wide receiver after trading DK Metcalf to the Steelers for the equivalent of a second-round pick and releasing Tyler Lockett. Cooper Kupp fit the bill. He signed a three-year, $45 million deal (worth a maximum of $47 million through salary escalators) with $26.5 million in guarantees a few days after the Rams released him.

Edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence left the Dallas Cowboys after 11 seasons because he was sure that he couldn't win a Super Bowl staying there. He signed a three-year, $32.5 million contract with $18 million in guarantees. Incentives and salary escalators make the deal worth as much as $41.5 million. Lawrence is the only player who had at least three forced fumbles and at least three fumble recoveries this season. He returned two of the recovered fumbles for touchdowns.

The Seahawks made two important re-signings on the defensive side of the ball. Linebacker Ernest Jones signed a three-year, $28.5 million contract worth up to $33 million through incentives and salary escalators to return to the Seahawks. His five interceptions were tied for the most among linebackers this season. Jones was named a second-team All-Pro. Defensive tackle Jarran Reed remained in Seattle on a three-year, $22 million deal with an additional $3 million in incentives.

The NFL is a copycat league. It will be interesting to see which teams that missed the playoffs will go on a spending spree when the free agent signing period opens on March 11. The Raiders, Titans and New York Jets, who each had 3-14 records this season, are expected to be among the teams with the most 2026 salary cap space. Super Bowl LX is the first time the two participants are in the game after missing the playoffs the previous year since the 2003 season when the Patriots beat the Panthers.